On Portland, who UCLA will face on Thursday:
“They return everybody from last year’s team and they’ve gotten off to a really good start. They’re shooting 52 percent on the season from 3-point line. There’s a lot of experience here. They’re a team that legitimately has a shot for competing with Gonzaga. Returned four guys in double figures. This is a very experienced team, a very big team. It’s going to be a tough game.”

On changing up the rotation to keep legs fresh:
“We’re trying to win this game (tonight). Especially as we move into the second and third gamee, we’ll probably need a little more rest for sure.”

On Jerime Anderson’s cramps:
“Yesterday his legs weren’t as sore as our trainer thought they would be. I talked to Jerime last night, and he’d gone to yoga at 6 o’clock. Part of the reason he may have had cramps is we practiced two hours on Sunday. We’re so desperate to get that practice time. We need practice time, and there’s just not time for us.”

On the 76 Classic Field:
“The field is the best field in the country of every tournament. We’re going to play a very good Portland team than an NCAA tournament team in Butler or Minnesota in the econd round. We’re playing on ESPN on Thanksgiving night. This is going to be tough, especially for this young team.”

On Portland’s defense:
“They’ll play zone, a 1-1-3 matchup where they start off pressing. They’ll trap the corners, might even trap the wings. They play behind you in the post. They run a lot of nice sets and things you’ll recognize from when Trent and Mike Montgomery were at Stanford.”

On his best player so far:
“Mike Roll has been the most consistent in the three games. But I think Malcolm Lee’s done a good job. He’s got so much potential. For him it’s about continuing to grow as a player. These sophomores, none of them played many minutes.”